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Welcome to the David Victor Vector blog. This is blog that covers religious observances around the world international affairs and global business. This blog describes religious holidays for most major religions as well as raising issues dealing with globalization, international business ethics, cross-cultural business communication and political events affecting business in an integrated world economy. I look forward your discussion and commentary on these articles and subjects. Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Year of the Monkey: Some Background

Monday, February 8, 2016 begins the Year of the Monkey. It is the beginning of the year 4713 (in some
traditions, 4714) in the Asian lunar system, which is the Year of the Red Fire Monkey.

In
today’s posting, I would like to share with you some specifics about
the Year of the Monkey as well as some background to the Asian
Zodiac system as a whole.

That said, you may also be interested in reading three related posts on

3) Year of the Monkey 2016: 205 CelebrationsAround the World.This
post first indicates where the Lunar New Year is an official state
holiday. The post then goes on to share the wide range of events taking
place outside of those countries. The listing here gives 205 major celebrations (parades, galas or other celebrations) for the Year of the Monkey in 27 countries beyond where it is officially part of the tradition. Of these, 78 are in the United States, 30 in the United Kingdom, 21 in Canada, 19 in France, 17 in Australia, 5 in New Zealand, 4 each in the Netherlands and Thailand; 3 eachin Spain, the Philippines and Malaysia, and 2 in Italy and Mexico. Additionally there were 1 each in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Dubai, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, and South Africa.. This is available at http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2016/01/year-of-monkey-2016-celebrations-around_26.html

In
today’s posting, though, we look only at the background to the Year of
the Monkey specifically and the Asian Zodiac system as a whole.

The Asian Zodiac Briefly Explained

The
Asian Zodiac (or horoscope) associated with the Asian or Chinese New
Year is taken very seriously by those who follow it in their tradition.
The significance attributed to the combinations associated with the
Asian horoscope affect business decisions, dates selected for important
events such as weddings, and many other aspects of daily life. These
views are widely shared, with a larger following than any single
religion -- Western or Eastern. As a result, these beliefs should be
treated with the respect accorded a religious belief (rather than with
that of superstition as Western astrology is sometimes treated).

The Lunar CalendarBecause
the Asian lunar calendar follows the moon, it seems to move within our
solar-based Gregorian calendar. Moreover, the Gregorian calendar does
not correspond fully with the Asian lunar calendar. Thus, February 19
marks the beginning of the Asian lunar calendar only this year for the
Year of the Ram.Goat. For instance, it began last year on January 31,
2014 for the Year of the Horse with the last day falling on February 18,
2014. The year before the New Year began on February 10, 2013 with the
last day of that year -- Year of the Snake -- falling on January 30,
2014, and so on.

The Twelve Animals of the Zodiac

The
lunar calendar runs on a cycle of 12 years each represented by an
animal. The animals all have a balance of compatibility or
incompatibility as represented in their place in the circle of the
12-year cycle. This year is the Year of the Monkey, the ninth animal in the cycle.

The 12 Animals of the Zodiac

The 12 animals in their order are

Rat

Ox

Tiger

Rabbit

Dragon

Snake

Horse

Ram/Sheep/Goat

Monkey

Rooster

Dog

Pig

Each
animal corresponds to a month of the lunar year. The ram or goat, this
year's governing animal, corresponds to the eighth animal in the cycle.

The Five Elements of the Wu Xing Cycle

Additionally,
each 12-year cycle of animals runs on an additional cycle corresponding
to the Wu Xing cycle of the five traditional Chinese elements. These
are

metal

fire

wood

water

earth

Wu Xing Cycle

﻿The five elements are in balance with each other, the basis of much of feng shui.

Combined, each element combines with each animal over a period of 60 years. The current 12-year cycle combines with the element of Fire

Each element is also associated with a color. In the case of fire, that color is red.

Thus, this year is the Year of the Red Fire Monkey.

﻿

Spiritual Importance of the Asian Horoscope

﻿﻿

Many
followers of the Asian zodiac have a formal religious belief in the
importance of the animal element combinations associated with each year
in the 60-year cycle. This is clearly the case for those practicing
Taoism.

For
Taoists, the New Year is always of religious significance. This because
in Taoism, the Lunar New Year's first day is a time when lesser deities
or spirits are believed to ascend to the throne of the Jade Emperor
(King of Heaven). In
Taoist tradition, the 12 animals were in a contest to greet the Jade
Emperor; a 13th animal – the cat – was tricked by the rat (about five
variations of how exist), which explains why cats have hated rats ever
since. A children's version
of this story is told in an very pleasant rendition at the Topmarks
education site. I encourage you to take a look at this version at

The
New Year is a religious event as well for a great number of the sects
of Buddhism, and most famously for Tibetan Buddhists. In Buddhist
tradition, the 12 animals were in a race to do honor to Lord Buddha on
the eve of his death. The rat and cat story is part of this tradition,
too. Incidentally, the rat was the first animal to greet Buddha. He
did so by helping the ox (which had poor eyesight) find his way across a
stream by riding on his head. When the two reached Lord Buddha on the
other shore, the rat jumped off the ox’s head, reaching Lord Buddha
first.

Additionally, though Confucianism is not technically a religion (but rather a philosophical system), its followers also traditional observe the lunar New Year to show reverence to their ancestors. Because of this, even Christians and practitioners of other faiths in such countries as as Korea or Vietnam generally
celebrate the holiday. The same holds true for those people in cultures
with strong Confucian customs who have no religion at all or for those
with mixed traditions.

Personality Traits and Asian Astrological Year

Monkey at Shrine, Tokyo

Many
people attribute a great deal of significance to the personality traits
attributed to the animal associated with the year in which they are
born. Each animal has its own traits, and then each animal and element
combination has their own subtraits. These are explained later in the
blog.

The
Year of the Monkey is associated with ambitious moves relying on intelligence, wit, charisma and charm. With most Asian
Horoscope years, those believers born in a previous of the same animal will meet with good fortune.However, people born in the Year of Monkey are the exception to this generalization. Because Monkeys try always to get the upper hand and land on top, the do poorly when meeting other Monkey people. Thus for those born in Year of the Monkey
(e.g., 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992 or 2004) will find this to exercise caution.

It
is important to note that the animal of one’s birth year is not seen as
fully able to stand on its own in understanding an individual’s
personality traits and tendencies. These must at a minimum, as we have
discussed, take into account the associated five elements. Additionally,
East Asian astrologers account for the inner or secret animal assigned
by the day of the month and hour of the day on which one is born. In
all, there are 8640 combinations (e.g., 12 months, 5 elements, 12
months, 12 times of day).

Chinese Astrology Not A Particular Accurate Term

The
system discussed here is often called Chinese astrology. This is a
misnomer for two reasons. First, the holiday is far more widely
observed than in just China, especially in Korea, Singapore, Bhutan,
Japan, Tibet, Mongolia and Vietnam as well as those from these
backgrounds living in other countries.

I
have described the holiday in general in this post. In a future post, I
will discuss followed the culturally specific differences in customs at
the close of this summary.

East Asian lunar zodiac

That said, for all the culturally diverse places in which the Asian New Year is celebrated, the calendar on which it is based does have
its origins in China. The first written records of the calendar and the
celebration of the New Year date to China’s Shang Dynasty (1766-1050
BC), although traditionally it is believed to date back to the rule of
the semi-mythical Yellow Emperor Huang Di around 2600 BC.A
second reason the phrase Chinese astrology is a misnomer is that the
system really has nothing to do with constellations as astrology does in
the West. It is less a reading of the stars than an interpretation of
the importance of the time, date and year in which one is born. To the
extent that when one is born matters to Western-style astrology, there
is a correspondence. Moreover, there is another similarity as the five
elements in the system, in fact, do correspond with the five planets
known in ancient China.Because
of these corresponding commonalities with Western astrology, many
people call the Asian system’s combinations of animals and elements the
lunar or Chinese “horoscope”. This is a bit of a misnomer, however, not
only for the reasons just described but because the way in which people
view the two “horoscopes” is very different. The
difference here is that many people (although with many exceptions) in
Europe, Australia and the Americas consider the Western zodiac horoscope
of star signs (Scorpio, Sagittarius, etc.) to be a form of
superstition, a game or something believed only partially.

This
is NOT the case with the Asian lunar horoscope cycle, where people
follow their sign very seriously. As a result, the system, though it
transcends that of any specific religion, should be treated with the
respect accorded religious beliefs. In any case, the point here is that
in a cross-cultural and inter-religious sense, the issue of lunar
horoscope animal element signs should be treated with respect.

One day the tiger became caught in a hunter's net. Crying out for help he was heard by the monkey, who dashed up the tree to untie the ropes of the net and free him. After this, the tiger owed a great debt to the monkey. He was aware, however, that if the monkey told the other animals what had happened they would not take him seriously again. He thought about killing the monkey to contain his secret, but realized that if he did this he would be unbearably lonely. Consequently, he decided to help the monkey instead, to pay off his debt.

When it came to the selection of the animal signs, the tiger was one of the top prospects. The monkey's chances were not good, though, so the tiger decided to speak up for him. In front of all the other animals he praised the monkey's intelligence and ability, thereby ensuring the monkey a place among the animal signs. In this way, he paid off his debt. (p. 28)

Personality Traits Associated with Year of the Monkey

It is important, again, to
emphasize that for many people, the traits described here are taken very
seriously and, by many others, at least somewhat seriously. The
descriptions that follow are general traits. Professional astrologers in
East Asia bore down through the specific year in the 60-year cycle (the
element), the specific day and the specific hour of birth. As mentioned
above, this produces 8640 possible permutations. The characteristics of
any given year's zodiac animal, therefore, is considered by believers
to be a very general influence.

Positive Monkey Traits

Ai WeiweiMonkey from the Circle of the Zodiac, 2011

Those
born in the Year of the Monkey are – on the positive side
-- considered to be intelligent, witty, charismatic and charming. The Monkey is also the sign most desirous of new experience and challenge. The site Senn sums this up well, noting:

Those born under the sign of the Monkey are likely to view life as a
series of quick events. Moving from one experience to the other, then,
is not so much about the things that they are doing as the feelings that
such moves evoke. If something is exciting, then they are likely to act
upon it and see what comes their way... What the Monkey represents then is a younger way of life, in which
action, loss, and education all have an important role to play. https://senn.cocoloni.com/chinese-zodiac/characteristics/monkey/The Monkey are the most inquisitive and restless of
all the Zodiac animals. Therefore, the Monkey is the sign of innovation and change. As a major Chinese Horoscope site explains:

Monkey is the most versatile sign and one of the most intelligent animal
in the Chinese zodiac. He has the widest range of skills compare to
any other zodiac animals. Monkey is the sign of inventor, improvisor,
and the motivator of the Chinese zodiac. He has inimitable guile and
charm and can be successful in almost any occupation. Being the
quick-witted genius of the cycle, he is clever, flexible, capable, and
innovative. They are the most active of all. http://chinesehoroscop-e.com/Monkey%20Zodiac.html

Mori Sosen (1747-1821)Monkey and Waterfall, Honolulu Museum of Art

Professionally, people born in the Year of the Monkey are believed to have great problem-solving abilities and creativity. As Man-Ho Kwok in his book on Chinese Astrology:

most monkey people are good at assessing risks and have a keen sense of financial situations. You rise to new challenges and hammer away at a problem until you find a solution. Even when a situation looks disheartening you explore all possible avenues until you find a promising opening. Your good organizational skills, combined with an astute and creative approach, are suited to work which involves investigation and speedy responses.

People born in the Year of the Monkey are believed to have innate talents in entertainment, public speaking and strategic thinking. They are believed to excel at any
calling that requires persuasiveness, communication skills and -- especially -- thinking outside the box. Those born during the Year of the Monkey are supposed to
be characterized by a deep well of charm and are innately lively, amusing and highly sociable. People born in the Year of the Monkey are the sign thought most likely to become famous, and so it (for believers), it does not seem unusual that so many famous people are born in Monkey years. Famous Year of the Monkey people include the actors Will Smith, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas and Elizabeth Taylor; the magician David Copperfield; the Star Wars creator George Lucas and SNL creator Lorne Michaels.In addition, the Year of the Monkey seems suited to those likely to be famous simply for being famous -- through sheer force of personality, which is why it seems fitting that TV Hosts Jerry Springer, Bill Maher, Bob Saget, and Randy Jackson (as well as reality star Kim Kardashian) are all Year of the Monkey people.Finally, people born in the Year of the Monkey are loyal to friends and able to befriend those that must others may shun. This is evident in the monkey and tiger story (shared above). The monkey befriends the tiger when others would not, helps the tiger when the tiger is in greatest need and remains friends with the tiger even when it seems that the tiger may abandon their friendship.

﻿Negative Traits

On the negative
side, people born in the Year of the Monkey generally are seen as having more positive than negative traits. It is, in general, a very likable and charismatic sign.The negative traits tend to be the exaggerated version of their positive attributes. For instance, their wit and intelligence gives them the ability to decide things very quickly and accurately, but these may lead them to have little patience with those who take more time to catch up with them. As a result, monkey people are often accused of arrogance. Relatedly, their intelligence and driving curiosity results in a tendency to become bored quickly. Monkey people lose interest unless they constantly feel challenged. Likewise, the otherwise positive trait of leadership and drive makes people born in the Year of the Monkey seem competitive to a fault. They are driven always to be in the top spot.

Year of the Fire Monkey Predictions

Predictions for the Year of the Fire Monkey are based on the personality attributes ascribed

to the characteristics believed to describe all people born under the
Monkey zodiac sign. The attributes of fire are then superimposed
on this.

Whatever one's own view on such predictions personally may be, it is important to keep in mind that somewhere in the realm of one billion people believe such predictions to be true, with perhaps 500 million taking such predictions seriously enough to affect decisions on business, investments, marriage, and having children among others.The personality attributes of people born in the Year of the
Monkey were described in greater detail above, generally
speaking they charismatic leaders filled with creativity and innovative ideas.

The
central characteristic of years governed by the element of fire is passion, action, leadership and dynamism. Fire is also associated with creative change and intensity.Since the monkey is the animal most associated with creativity and fire is the element most associated with change, the Year of the Fire Monkey is one in which there is on the positive side the opportunity for innovation and new ideas and on the negative side a year of great volatility.

The
professional astrologer Paul Ng places the year within the 60-year
cycle. Ng explains that this is the " Thunder Yin" in that cycle,
with an uneven balance of yin and yang (2 yin influences as against just one yin influence). Though less gloomy than last year's prediction (which seemingly correctly anticipated both the Ebola virus outbreak and economic uncertainty in China, Ng cautions that in this coming year "the world continues to be very volatile, politically and economically. There would be new sources of illnesses, mostly due to food issues."http://www.paulng.com/CMS/uploads/2016-geo.pdf This
is, however, one sentence in a an extensive prediction that varies
according to where one is located and what one's own zodiac sign and
time of birth are.

Some astrologers predict a more optimistic year in business or
career decisions. Emphasizing the high energy and creativity traits of
the animal combined with the "passion, creativity and joy" associated with fire, astrologer Susan
Levitt puts it, the coming year "is ideal for a quantum leap in your life! Now is the time to shake things up, create change, and innovate a new path. Join Monkey’s enthusiast energy when risks are rewarded and anything can happen. Even the most ambitious plans can succeed. There will be more than enough action and opportunity to keep you busy. In Monkey year, it’s fine to just make it up as you go along." http://susanlevitt.com/astrology/monkey-year-2016/Whatever your outcome for the year, Happy Year of the Fire Monkey!

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About Me

David A. Victor, Ph.D. is a business professor, author and consultant. He is Director of International Business Programs at the Eastern Michigan University College of Business where he is also a tenured Full Professor of Management. He teaches courses in business communication, business ethics, international business ethics, international business, and international management. Dr Victor’s book International Business Communication (Harper Collins, 1992) was the first book published on the subject in the United States. Dr. Victor is also a business consultant and co-founder of the non-profit organization One Village One World.

More About David Victor's Academic Experience

I teach at the Eastern Michigan University College of Business I am also editor of the Global Advances in Business Communication. http://commons.emich.edu/gabc/

Among other subjects, I teach Managing World Business Communication, Fundamentals of Global Business, international business ethics, international business, Business Ethics/CSR, and International Management as well as a series of "Doing Business In..." seminars for business in specific countries and regions. My course at EMU in Managing World Business Communication first designed and taught nearly 20 years ago was among the first regularly taught on cross-cultural business communication in an AACSB-accredited school.

From 1996-1997, I was President of the Association for Business Communication and helped to establish the European and the Asia/Pacific regions of that organization. In 2010, I was honored to have won the Meada Gibbs Outstanding Teaching Award, an international prize given by the Association for Business Communication. Over the years, I have received 6 grants from a variety of sources including the US Department of Education and the Federal Government of Canada. .

In 1992, I was the first recipient of the Distinguished Visiting Foreign Professorship (Graduate Level) of the InstitutoTecnologico y EstudiosSuperiores de Monterrey. I was also a Visiting Professor at the University of Antwerp in Belgium in 2008 and at the Universidade do Caxias do Sul in Brazil in 2010. I also hold classes for Saint Mary's of California's TransGlobal Executive MBA students.

About David Victor’s Consulting Experience

I have consulted since the mid-1980’s, mostly in the area of international business communication, expatriate relocation and diversity management for a range of clients including school systems, hospital networks and city and state governments as well as a wide range of companies working domestically in the United States as well as in Canada, Mexico, East Asia and Europe. I have consulted and run programs for over 150 companies and organizations, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the state governments of Idaho, Iowa and Michigan, the American Bar Association and the US Army as well as several city governments and health systems in the US and abroad.